THE DIRT - January 2026

EDITOR’S NOTE

From Alex Shewbirt, head of content, Catalyst Communications Network

Let’s be honest — agriculture news isn’t just headlines ... it’s personal.

Prices swing, policies shift, big announcements rarely include instructions and sometimes the people making decisions seem miles away from those living with them.

Here at Farmers Hot Line, we believe you deserve real information, delivered the way rural America actually talks:

Clear facts

Zero fluff

Honest tone

And yes ... enough humor and sarcasm to survive it

Because sometimes we’re over it too, and if we can laugh while we learn, we’ll take that win.

Welcome to THE DIRT, where we cover what matters to agriculture with truth, wit and a little side-eye when needed.

— Ally

One note before we dig in: The Dirt is a monthly snapshot, not a live news feed. Agriculture doesn’t sit still, and neither do we.

For breaking updates, deeper dives and real-time discussion as stories evolve, you’ll find us all month long on the Farmers Hot Line Facebook page.

--

Meta’s AI Is Studying You

Meta confirmed it trains artificial intelligence (AI) on public Facebook and Instagram content.

If you posted hay prices in 2010, a California algorithm may now know more about your forage history than your neighbors do.

You can opt out ... but only via desktop ... because of course, the option is buried where nobody looks.

Fake Beef Isn’t Saving the Planet After All

A UC Davis study suggests lab-grown meat could emit four to 25 times more greenhouse gases than cattle.

Why? Because producing pharmaceutical-grade growth media for dinner is basically farming inside a hospital supply chain.

Maybe the tech improves. 

Right now it feels like “surgery with seasoning.”

Beef Plants Close, Tariffs Drop, Prices Climb

Tyson is closing its Nebraska beef plant and scaling back Amarillo.

Brazilian tariffs reduced, imports will rise and fed cattle markets reacted.

Herds are still rebuilding after drought, ranchers are doing everything they can and the system remains fragile, stretched and one disruption away from chaos.

Ground Beef May Hit $10 per Pound

Omaha Steaks’ CEO says to expect double-digit beef prices by late 2026, with little relief before 2027.

Reasons?

Herd at 70-year low

Drought

High demand

Heifer retention

Federal investigation into packer practices

Imports don’t fix this. 

This one is homegrown hurt.

Lab Milk Is Coming by 2026

“UnReal Milk” plans to sell fluid milk grown from cow cells — no cows required.

No barns

No parlor

Just stainless tanks and biotech marketing

Farmers call it disruption.

Consumers are asking identity questions.

Regulators aren’t aligned.

Check their website (www.unrealmilk.com) out and you can see the “plan.” 

Rural America Still Can’t Get a Doctor

92% of rural counties are primary care shortage areas.
Nearly 200 counties lack a single primary care doctor.

A $50 billion rural health fund is coming, but until implementation matters, rural families keep driving farther, waiting longer and filling fewer facilities with new, quality providers.

Tariffs Lifted on Brazilian Beef and Coffee

The U.S. reversed tariff hikes to cool inflation.

Coffee might loosen

Ground beef could soften slightly

Big processors gain leverage

Ranchers see extra competition in a tough year

Meanwhile, Americans aren’t seeing much relief yet at checkout. I think my monthly grocery bill is more than my mortgage. 

Half of U.S. Farms May Not Profit in 2025

Ag lenders expect only 52% of farms to be profitable this year.

Their advice:

Plan early

Buy together

Delay big purchases

Stay close to lenders

Translation: do more with less ...  again.

Screwworm Outbreak Keeps Border Shut

Mexico continues to fight screwworm — a parasite (fly) that literally eats live tissue.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) closed cattle imports to prevent a disaster.

Texas is testing aggressively due to exposure risk, but there are no confirmed cases of spread in Texas herds, and officials are aiming to keep it that way.

Tiny pests can break big systems. This headline proves it.

Congress Accidentally Nuked Hemp ... Then Said, “Maybe Not”

A late rule change would effectively ban most hemp products.

Kentucky lawmakers objected immediately.

The rule doesn’t start for a year — buying time for science-based regulation rather than surprise demolition.

Honorable Mentions

(What we didn’t have room for on the porch railing)

• Mexico vs. GMO corn restrictions continue
• Mississippi River freight improves
• Fertilizer prices steady-but-high
• Avian flu monitoring ramps
• Methane policy adjustments likely ahead
• Congress eyeing rural childcare and workforce supports
• Farm Bill still stuck — lots of noise, little motion
  

THE DIRT BOTTOM LINE

Agriculture isn’t boring; it’s pretty dramatic and sometimes plays out like a Marvel movie. 

So, each month we sift the policy mud, market mess and industry chaos — delivering news you can use with humor you can handle.

Because sometimes you simply need to laugh so you don’t cry.